As video games like “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” continue to soar in popularity, interest in the real thing has increased as well. Everyone from children to grandparents want to play like rock stars, and the Student Union Leisure Class Department gives people of all ages a chance to learn with its beginner guitar class. “I try to get [my students] prepared to be able to go on and start learning and playing songs on their own outside of class,” said Eric Johns, class instructor. “We learn chords, we learn songs and I talk about different guitar techniques. I want them to have an understanding of how the guitar works.”This semester, the guitar class consists of 27 students — a big jump from about 16 students last semester, according to Johns. Johns’ students range from a little girl with a pink guitar to a loving married couple who wanted to learn to play the guitar together. “Our program is made of classes of a variety of topics that people like to do with their leisure time,” said Lynne Maxwell, leisure class coordinator. “This [guitar] class has been filling up each semester, and we’ve had to turn people away.” Johns has been playing the guitar for a decade, and he teaches outside of the leisure class. He also knows how to play the trumpet and the piano, but guitar is his favorite. “The sound is created by both hands,” Johns said. “It’s a type of connection you don’t get with a piano or a trumpet.”As of now, the beginner guitar class is an hour on six Sundays of each semester. Johns said he would like the class to be over a longer period of time, and he would love to teach an intermediate class for students who have completed the beginner course. Rhonda Ancar, of Denham Springs, and her husband, Ashton Ancar, attend the class together. Rhonda Ancar has taken many Union leisure classes, such as calligraphy, art and jewelry making. Ashton Ancar, a more advanced guitar player, chose to take the guitar class to learn more with his wife.”[My husband] learned to play some from his dad, so he took the class with me in order to play better,” Rhonda Ancar said. “Plus, I think he was scared I’d learn to out play him.” She said she hopes the class will help her build confidence so she will continue learning and playing songs.During class, Johns emphasized repetition was key to remembering hand placement for chords. He said after looking at the same thing over and over, your brain will                    eventually remember it. Johns teaches his students to read music notation and guitar tablature, which is notation for finger placement on the strings. The music theory section of the class “seemed to blow over the students’ heads,” Johns said. The Union leisure class program has been around for 40 years and has offered more than 10,000 classes, Maxwell said. Ballroom dancing and guitar classes have been around since 1975, as far back as Maxwell’s records show. In the ’70s, the Union leisure class program offered square dancing, wine tasting, yoga, meditation and outdoor-oriented classes.”It is fulfilling to see that people come back to the University, continue life-long learning and continue to support the community,” Maxwell said. “It’s nice to see education continuing through people’s life spans. We’re always looking for new classes to keep people interested.”——Contact Mary Walker Baus at [email protected]